Maison de Sabre brothers eye $50m in revenue with high end accessories

Omar and Zane Sabre have turned a $40,000 investment into a $50m retail business but admit their $16,500 diamond and gold iPhone case is next level. So who will buy it?

Maison de Sabre founders Zane, left, and Omar Sabre say they offer a fresh perspective and focus on quality and customers – ingredients needed to take on the big European luxury houses.

Sydney brothers Omar and Zane Sabre are aiming to take on luxury European fashion brands such as Hermes and Louis Vuitton, launching what they say is the world’s most expensive iPhone 16 Pro Max case, costing more than $16,500.

The brothers founded their bespoke leather goods brand Maison de Sabre in 2017 with a $40,000 investment. They now generate annual revenue of $50m, selling a product every 60 seconds.

Omar says the company aims to turn everyday objects – such as iPhone cases – into works of art. It has a solid customer base in Australia, the US and Japan.

Maison de Sabre says it has crafted the world's most expensive iPhone 16 Pro Max case.

“There’s nothing more important to any person in terms of what they carry than their phone. And the phone is both a statement but it’s also the most ubiquitous product that we own,” Omar says.

“We’ve understood that our customer, in particular, wants a way to express themselves. They want an outlet for self expression, customisation to show they are carrying something unique and that they as a person are unique.”

It’s proven a successful recipe. A collaboration with Hello Kitty achieved $1m worth of sales within 24 hours of launch, selling out completely within three days.

Maison de Sabre's collaboration with Hello Kitty achieved $1m worth of sales within 24-hours of launching.

But Omar – who worked as a dentist in Auckland before founding the company – says he has now stepped it up to the “nth degree” with the release of the latest iPhone case.

It was made in Lyon, France and crafted from 18 carat gold and encrusted with 38 GIA-certified diamonds and eight sapphires. It retails for $US10,999 ($16,581), making it almost eight times as expensive as an iPhone 16 Pro Max handset and Hermes’s Apple Watch collaboration.

So who will buy it and is it merely a marketing stunt as Maison de Sabre celebrates its seventh anniversary?

Omar replies that the case should have cost more.

The diamonds and gold in Maison de Sabre's new iPhone 16 Pro Max case.

“Our core customer understands that everything that we do is done to a level of extreme quality and extreme workmanship. So it’s not so much a pitch, but it’s a presentation of what the brand is capable of and what really we can do,” he says.

“To be honest, it should be a lot more than what it is. If you look at a similar piece that has 1.25 carats diamonds in it, something that is crafted from … solid, 18 carat gold, it could cost $US25,000 all the way up to maybe $US40,000 for a brand name as well.

“We are trying our absolute best at pricing where we believe it is accessible enough for that product and for that consumer to attain. And the reason why we do that is because our philosophy on product is that it should be used every single day. It should be something that isn’t high shelf. It should be something that you can take with you to a meeting, to dinner, to vacation.”

Maison de Sabre co-founder Zane Sabre.

Omar says this is reflected in the latest iPhone case, with the diamonds recessed slightly in the case so it won’t scratch tables and other surfaces when put down, while he opted for 18 carat rather than 24 carat because it was harder while still having lustre.

But is it enough to compete with the European luxury giants? Omar says Australia is gaining traction on the global stage.

LVMH bought an 49.9 per cent stake in R.M. Williams for about $52m in 2013, before fully acquiring the brand in 2016 and then selling it to Andrew Forrest and Nicola Forrest private investment group Tattarang for a reported $190m in 2020.

Then there was Gina Rinehart’s acquisition of Rossi Boots last year as part of a grand plan to build a fashion label to rival the Forrests’ R.M. Williams. Mrs Rinehart even gifted Australian swimming and rowing Olympians pairs of shiny gold elastic side boots at the Paris Olympics as she held a party on a boat on the Seine.

“There new energy that’s coming out of Australia. We see things differently,” Omar says.

“Our background was in healthcare originally, but that’s been our biggest competitive advantage. Being an Australian brand has both challenges and advantages. Luxury is typically not dominated by Australian brands but by Europeans. But the key advantage … is that we have an incredibly fresh (perspective).

“We’ve been able to execute the quality that that’s comparable to an industry player that would have been there for 100 years – but we’ve been able to do it in a matter of one year or two years because we are working with the best expertise that’s available.”

Originally published as Maison de Sabre brothers eye $50m in revenue with high end accessories